A teenage girl was sexually assaulted in the backseat of a car that is said to belong to a Fullerton security guard. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News on Feb. 9, 2023.
A security guard accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl in the backseat of a patrol car at an Orange County shopping center was arrested Tuesday, according to authorities.
The crime occurred during the guard's second day on the job at a shopping center in the 1800 block of West Malvern Avenue in Fullerton, police said.
Mohamed Mao, 34, of Anaheim, was booked on suspicion of assault with the intent to rape, kidnapping, sexual battery of a minor and impersonating a police officer, according to Fullerton police Capt. Jon Radus.
The 17-year-old accuser came to police with her parents at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to report that she had been sexually assaulted. The teen said she was in a parked car with her boyfriend near the rear of the plaza when a uniformed security guard in a marked vehicle pulled up and told her to get out of the car, police said.
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"The security guard had the female step out of the car," said Capt. John Radus, of the Fullerton Police Department. "He actually placed her in the backseat of his security vehicle and told the boyfriend to leave."
With the doors of the security vehicle locked, the teen could not get out of the car's backseat, Radus said. The security guard drove around the area with the girl in the backseat, parked and sexually assaulted her, police said.
She was eventually let go and called her mother. Arresting officers arrived at the shopping center and saw the suspect attempting to pull over another driver, police said.
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The suspect has since been released from jail, according to jail records. Prosecutors did not immediately charge Mao, requesting on Thursday that police further investigate the allegations.
It was not immediately clear whether Mao has an attorney. His former employer, VP Protection, told NBCLA that Mao had several years of experience as a security guard with no criminal history when he was hired.
